


snips and snails and puppy dog tails

by iriscale



Category: GOT7, K-pop
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, Cute Kids, Fluff, Gen, Kid BamBam, Kid Fic, Kid Youngjae, Pre-Markson, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-16
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-04-26 15:19:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5009770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iriscale/pseuds/iriscale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>that's what little boys are made of</p>
            </blockquote>





	snips and snails and puppy dog tails

**Author's Note:**

> honestly this is just self-indulgent fluff but i do need to share the wonders of got7 kid!fic with ao3 because sticky kids bamjae are actually my children  
> also this is for my love and parent to my stepson bam ily

A boy around the age of six sits alone on a play park bench. He grips a long stick in one hand, tapping it rhythmically against the wooden seat as he plays a game with himself. In his game he is alone as well, but instead of being a lonely second grader named Youngjae, he is a roguish, daring space pirate named Captain Jae. The stick in his hand becomes a sword, and the seat behind him becomes his spaceship.

It's one of his favorite games, the way he can pretend to punch buttons on a console and fight imaginary bad guys. He minds less that the other kids at the summer daycare have their own cliques. After all, they're not pirates like he is--but sometimes he wishes they were.

Today is different though; a new kid joined the daycare that morning. A gap-toothed smile, a patch of light-brown dyed hair, and a year’s age difference that had Youngjae sighing in disappointment.

The gap-toothed kid doesn't seem to think a thing of their difference in age though when he plops down right into Youngjae's spaceship.

"Whatchu playing?" the boy asks, wide grin showing off his missing front tooth.

“Space pirates,” Youngjae answers, voice shy. He sits up a little straighter, remembering his self-bestowed title.

“I’m Captain Jae,” he says proudly, brandishing his makeshift sword with as much finesse a second grader can muster while waving around a stick.

The boy’s eyes go wide, and he leans forward into Youngjae’s space, clutching to him excitedly.

“Whoa… that’s cool,” he gapes. Youngjae can’t help preening and tilts his chin up.

The younger’s eyes go even wider.

“Can I be a space pirate, too?” he asks, clutching Youngjae tighter. 

The elder narrows his eyes in thought, before beaming widely.

“Sure! I need a crew,” Youngjae nods.

His new crew member wiggles and plops down on his rear next to Youngjae.

“First mate Bambam reporting for duty!” he crows, slapping his hand over his forehead in an enthusiastic salute.

“Welcome to the ship, Mate Bambam,” Youngjae replies seriously, offering his hand to shake, and the young boys giggle over the grown-up-ness of the gesture.

Bambam integrates into the ship play easily, wielding a stick sword of his own as the two take control of the playground and pretend to hunt for treasure and fight aliens.

Youngjae leaves daycare with a new friendship and for once looks forward to the rest of the week.

 

The next day Bambam shoots furtive glances around the daycare center as he pulls Youngjae toward their cubbyholes. The five year old gives Youngjae a secretive smile as he reaches into his bag and pulls out a pair of twin bandanas.

“Only for us space pirates,” he whispers, pressing one into Youngjae’s hands, wiggling as he ties his own around his head. He leaps in excitement when Youngjae secures his own around his forehead, and the two giggle as they run out to the playground, ignoring the frazzled daycare worker reminding them not to run.

They find new sticks and continue their game from the day before. They come across a group of enemy pirates, and the pretend enemies pin them down back to back. Fighting valiantly with their twin bandanas on, Bambam startles Youngjae when he squeaks in false pain, falling on his knees.

“Bambam!” Youngjae shouts, stabbing a few imaginary adversaries before he kneels at Bambam’s side. The child grabs at his side, moaning dramatically.

“I’ve been stabbed,” Bambam groans, coughing into his hand.   
“Don’t die, Bambam!” Youngjae encourages him, clutching at him and sniffing like he’s going to cry.

“You… go on…--” A cough and a wheeze--”Without me… Capt’n Jae…” he gasps, making a choking noise before he flops back into Youngjae’s arms.

“NOO!!” Youngjae roars, shaking Bambam’s body, but the five year old keeps his eyes closed, only the corners of his lips curling up and breaking his visage.

Youngjae wipes away pretend tears as he lays Bambam against the gravel.

“You fought with honor,” he says, repeating something he’d heard on TV. “Rest in peace, First mate Bambam.”

He pretends to pray after tugging the bandana down over Bambam’s eyes.

Through all this Bambam is still, acting the perfect part of the dead hero other than a few intermittent giggles. He can’t, however, keep it up when Youngjae starts to pile gravel on top of his “dead” body.

He squeals at the dirt on his skin, immediately sitting up and grabbing a handful of tiny rocks to put on Youngjae instead.

It devolves to the two chasing each other around the playset, ignoring the other kids as they try to shove gravel down each other’s shirts and pants.

They both get so dusty, Bam’s black shirt nearly looks gray and Youngjae can feel the grit in his waistband but neither of them, being five and six year old boys, care.

Neither of them foresee the potential mess then when they get their snack-time popsicles, sticky red juice mingling with playtime dust.

Especially when Bambam decides that they look like zombies and reaches over to smear more juice down Youngjae’s chin.

The daycare workers are grateful they’re not the ones who have to clean them up.

 

The two are still bouncy and excited off each other’s energy even after been scolded by a daycare worker to be ready for their parents to pick them up. Sticks confiscated but bandanas still in place (albeit stickier), Bambam grabs Youngjae’s sleeve when he sees a particular man walk up.

Bambam points at the man, eyes narrowing in a scheming look.

“It’s our sworn enemy, the space crocodile,” he hisses to Youngjae, hitting him to get his attention. Youngjae looks up, following the line of Bambam’s finger.

“Him?”

“Help me defeat him, Jae,” Bambam says, tugging Youngjae behind him as he hops up from the bench and sprints toward the man, backpacks bouncing against their backs.

“Time to die, evil space crocodile!” Bambam cries, hitting the man with a tackle that knocks the breath out of him, both boys giggly from running.

The man grins when he sees Bambam, immediately playing along.

“That’s right, I’m a scary crocodile,” he says, snapping his teeth and making chewing noises as he picks Bambam up, easily swinging him into the air. Bambam struggles valiantly, pushing at his arms and shouting excitedly.

Youngjae isn’t too sure what to do, but caught up in Bambam’s excitement, he pushes at the man’s legs, and together they push him to the ground, both boys cheering.

“You’ve beaten me! Argh!” the man groans, letting his head roll back and closing his eyes like he’d fainted. Bambam pushes up from his chest and grabs his friend’s hand.

“That’s right! No mean ole crocodile can beat Captain ‘Jae and his first mate Bambam!”

The younger raises their sticky hands and they cheer again, Youngjae giggling at the announcement.

The man peeks at them and Bambam leaps into his arms when he sits back up.

“We even have matching bandanas,” Bambam grins, showing off his gap-toothed grin and the cloth wrapped around his head.

“What a great team,” the man beams back, ruffling Bambam’s hair. He sets Bambam down and crouches next to the second grader now fidgeting with the fabric wrapped around his forehead.

“What’s your full name, Capt’n?” he asks.

“Choi Youngjae… sir,” Youngjae adds, a little embarrassed under the gaze of the adult.

The man grins crookedly at him as well, his hand engulfing the grade schooler’s in a handshake.

“How old are you, Captain Youngjae?”

 

At that time, another grown man searches for his son. He’s a little nervous when he sees an unfamiliar stranger chatting amicably with the child, but Mark tells himself to relax and smiles when Youngjae’s eyes settle on him from over the man’s shoulder.

The kid’s eyes go all bright and he completely ignores the man in favor of racing toward Mark, hugging his waist.

“Dad!!” he crows, beaming up at him before going back to grab his friend’s hand.

“This is my new best friend Bambam and we’re pirates together and we fought a space crocodile,” he says in a rush, breathless.

Mark’s eyes twinkle.

“Wow, sounds like a busy day,” he smiles down at Youngjae, who’s still holding onto this Bambam with one hand even as he hugs his dad with the other arm.

Bambam gives Mark a polite enough nod, but he seems eager to get Youngjae to himself again, tugging a little at his arm as if to say “let’s play more!”

Mark’s attention is drawn somewhere else. The man who was talking to Youngjae before is approaching him and  _oh._ Mark's interested.

He hardly even realizes he’s staring, but he thinks he can hardly be blamed with how little his short sleeve shirt leaves to the imagination, defined biceps on display.

Thankfully the other man seems distracted, and doesn't seem to notice his stare. He offers his hand after a second.

“I’m Jackson, Bambam’s dad,” he says, and Mark thinks his crooked smile is dangerously endearing.

“Mark, Youngjae’s dad,” he replies, hoping he’s not grinning too widely.

Jackson says something about being happy his son found a friend at his new daycare, laughing about Bambam’s enthusiasm. Mark nods, but shamefully enough his eyes drift elsewhere, sneaking glances of the other man’s body he so obviously takes care of. He wonders if he's imagining Jackson’s gaze wandering too. (He does look good in this henley, he thinks.)

It takes them both a minute to realize their sons have both disappeared, backpacks left behind.

**Author's Note:**

> blog @[earlgreytae](http://earlgreytae.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk abt sticky kids or anything really! come say hi~
> 
> i just mostly wanted to write about the kids but if i feel up for it (and if there's a response for it hehe) there might be some cute markson (with bonus pining!)


End file.
